This Home is Your Home
by backstagespotlight
Summary: Sequel to Come Home, Little Angel. Number two in my Home, Sweet Home Dantana AU. It's been nearly 4 years and the family is growing. How will its transplanted member react? Dantana and Fiesta
1. Chapter 1

_So, This is the much awaited sequel to Come Home, Little Angel. This story introduces not one but two new characters and I'm thinking will focus on Gio, especially his relationship with Fina, as I see them as life long friends. Not sure exactly where it is going, but I'm open for suggestions. (on some stuff) ;-)  
_

--

"You're it!" the little girl said, laughing.

"Fina!" exclaimed the boy, who, though half a year younger, stood a head taller than the petite little fairy, "Not fair! I'm still eating!"

"I'll play with you!" came a call from the other side of the picnic table, "Come on, Fi!" eight year-old Gio shook out his dark hair and came running at his younger sister.

"You're it!" he laughed, dashing out of her reach. The little one in pigtails ran after her brother. Soon he was chasing her and the game continued. Soon little Micah Flack joined in the fun.

"So," Stella asked a very pregnant Lindsay, "When does it all become official?"

"It's been official since a month after he came to us," she said, "and we're legally his guardians, but we sign all the paperwork tomorrow. There've been a few hoops to jump through, but he's finally going to be ours."

"And when do these two come?" Stella asked, rubbing her hand along Lindsay's abdomen.

"In another month or so."

"And how do you feel about that?" Stella asked.

"I'm a little scared. Some days it's all we can do to keep up with the two of them and now we'll have four."

"You'll do great, Lindsay. You're an amazing mother. These kids are lucky to have you and Danny," Stella assured her, just as her pager sounded.

"DOA three blocks from here. I know I was your ride here, if you need me to I'll send a uni back to drive you and the kids home." Lindsay waved her off.

"Go to work. It's only half an hour until the end of Danny's shift. He was already planning to meet us here. We'll take Micah home with us. Pick him up when you need to." Stella thanked Lindsay and called Micah over to say goodbye. He hugged and kissed her quickly before running back to his game. Stella handed Lindsay the keys as she headed out on foot.

It wasn't even twenty minutes later when Danny rushed up to his kids and pulled them into a tickle fight. Even Micah joined in the fun. It lasted until Danny realized he was out energized and pulled free. He greeted his wife with a kiss then settled next to her on the bench.

The kids played around for a while longer then Danny loaded everyone into the car and drove them to their home. With two more babies on the way Danny and Lindsay had moved to a larger apartment further from work. Lindsay was too tired to make dinner, so Danny whipped up some macaroni and cheese for the kids.

"Do you want anything, Montana?" Danny asked. Lindsay looked up from her position on the couch and shook her head.

"Do the babies?" he asked playfully. Lindsay smiled at him but shook her head again, settling in a little more, trying to find a comfortable position to rest in. It was nearly impossible these days with the healthy pair of Messer babies growing inside her.

"D," she said, "I'm going to take a quick nap, if you don't mind. I'm wiped out."

"Go ahead," Danny assured her, "We'll be fine."

"Love you, Cowboy" Lindsay breathed as she closed her eyes.

"Love you, too, Montana."

--

Lindsay slept for half an hour and when she woke up the kids were watching an episode of _Dragontales_. Fina was the first to notice Lindsay was awake.

"Hi Mommy!" the little girl said, running over to her. Lindsay sat up slowly. Fina clamored up onto the couch next to her and laid her head on Lindsay's expanded stomach.

"Hey Angel Girl," Lindsay said, stroking her daughter's curls. One of the babies kicked against her sister's cheek, making the little girl giggle. Danny looked up from his place on the floor next to Gio and Micah and smiled. Fina had been the one most nervous about the new babies, as she had always been her parents little angel, especially in her mother's eyes. But interestingly it had been Gio who had pulled her out of it, citing that they'd be able to play with the babies as they grew up. Now she couldn't wait for the twins to be born and watched fascinated as the babies grew and moved.

"Stella called while you were sleeping. The case took a twist and it doesn't look like she'll be getting home tonight." Danny's eyes met Lindsay's and there was something in them that said there was more to the story. She nodded that she understood, then turned to the show.

--

That night, after the kids were tucked into bed, Danny snuggled in behind Lindsay on their sofa.

"What kept Stella?" she asked. Danny took a deep breath.

"Don't freak out, Montana, but Flack was shot," Lindsay gasped and turned as best she could. Danny ran his hand over her arm to calm her.

"Where? How bad is it? What happened?" her questions came in rapid fire procession.

"Slow down, Linds. He'll be fine. He got hit in the right shoulder and it was a ricochet so it didn't even do that much damage. Apparently it was nearly impossible to seal the scene and some banger took a potshot," Danny kissed the back of his wife's neck.

"How's Stella?" she asked.

"Concerned. Frightened out of her mind. Mac said they think the bullet was meant for her," Danny answered cautiously.

"Wow," Lindsay said, her hand moved to her stomach, but at first, Danny didn't notice.

"Danny," Lindsay asked, "How long does it take to get to the hospital from here?"

"Montana," Danny interjected, "Stella and Flack are fine. We can't leave the kids alone and you can't drive by yourself."

"I wasn't thinking of visiting Flack," Lindsay said, "My water just broke."


	2. Chapter 2

Lindsay and Danny somehow got the three sleepy children to the car. They drove carefully to the hospital. As they reached the hospital Lindsay's contractions grew stronger. Danny got her settled into the wheelchair then handed over the nurses before waking Gio, Fina and Micah. The youngest of the three could hardly walk, he was so tired, so Danny scooped him up and carried him inside. He followed Lindsay's doctors, leading his children. When they reached the room he placed Micah on the extra bed. Gio and Fina curled up in the chair and fell back asleep. Danny was able to turn his attention to Lindsay.

After Lindsay was settled in, Danny called Stella a third time. This time she answered.

"Danny?" Stella asked, "Is Micah ok?"

"Yeah, Micah's fine. How's Flack doing?" Danny asked, fidgeting, "Stell, we need a favor."

"A favor?" Stella asked, "Danny?"

"Lindsay's in labor. We're at the hospital, all five of us and I need you to come get the kids, if you can. They're asleep for now."

"I'll be down in five minutes. What room?" Danny gave her the number and hung up the phone. Lindsay gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. He crossed over and gave his hand to her. She squeezed it hard. He ran his other hand along her cheek and gazed into her eyes, guiding her breathing.

"That's it, Montana. Breathe," Danny coached. Lindsay panted through the contraction then smiled as it ebbed. The doctor came in to check her progress.

"Looks like you're at four centimeters right now. Both babies are healthy and I'd like to get a sonogram to confirm that we don't need to intervene at this point. A lot of twins come early and you're within the range for a full term delivery, but we like to be sure," the doctor explained. Lindsay and Danny nodded. Stella came in to collect the kids as the nurse wheeled in the ultrasound.

"Everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

"As fine as it can be," Lindsay bit out, breathing through the latest contraction.

Stella gathered up the children and escorted them from the room. She once again traded car keys with Danny, as she would need the car seats when Flack was released in the morning.

--

Lindsay labored through the night, progressing slowly, but the babies remained healthy and strong. In the early hours of the next morning the first baby crowned.

"Just a couple more pushes, Montana," Danny coached. Lindsay groaned and pushed hard. The cries of the little one filled the room only minutes later.

"It's a girl!" Danny exclaimed, smiling. Lindsay lay back on the bed. The doctor handed the new baby girl to Danny. He cradled her close and leaned in to show Lindsay.

"Hi baby," Lindsay whispered. Another contraction hit and three minutes later the youngest Messer girl followed her sister into the world.

"They're beautiful, Montana," Danny marveled.

"We never did agree on names," Lindsay said, "but one of them should be Aiden." Danny felt tears in his eyes at the sweetness of Lindsay's gesture.

"Aiden Hope," he said, studying the younger of the twins. Lindsay nodded.

"Now for you, my sweet," she said, turning her attention to the older twin in her arms. The little girl stared up at her calmly.

"Alexis," Danny offered, remembering the name of Lindsay's good friend who'd been killed in the diner that day so many years ago. Lindsay looked surprised, then nodded.

"Alexis Grace," she said, and so it was decided.

--

Lindsay awoke from a restful nap to the sight of her two older children running into the room.

"Mommy!" Fina called as she hopped up on the bed.

"Hi Angel Girl," Lindsay said, planting a kiss on the little girl's hair.

"Where are the babies?" Fina asked. Lindsay smiled at her enthusiasm. Danny strode over to pick up Fina. He carried her over to the bassinettes where Alex and Aiden lay sleeping. Fina smiled down at them and reached out to touch them. Danny set her in the large chair, then lifted little Alex and set her gently in Fina's lap, adjusting her arms to support the child. Fina smiled up at Danny with a joy that melted his heart. Stella stepped over and asked to hold little Aiden.

It was then that Lindsay noticed Gio hanging back in the doorway.

"Come here, Buddy," she said. He walked over slowly. Lindsay patted the bed next to her. Gio climbed up and leaned against her.

"What's wrong, Gio?" Lindsay asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Are you still going to sign those papers today?" he asked. Lindsay looked down at her son and suddenly realized how much the twins' early birth had affected his life.

"Our appointment is at four o'clock," Lindsay said, "If they let me come home today we'll still go. If not we'll reschedule it for as soon as we can." She hugged Gio close.

"We'll sign those papers, promise. But you know we don't need those papers to love you. We'll always be your Mommy and Daddy." Gio nodded and snuggled in.

"Now," Lindsay said, "Go meet your new sisters." Gio kissed Lindsay on the cheek then hopped down from the bed and skipped over to Danny. Husband and wife's eyes met across the room.

_Hug him_, Lindsay mouthed. Danny nodded and knelt down to embrace the boy.

"Look at me, Gio!" Fina said from her position on the chair, "I'm holding Baby Alex!"

Gio smiled at his sister.

"Can I hold Aiden?" he asked. Danny nodded and helped Fina move over to make room for Gio on the oversized armchair. Stella placed Aiden in the boy's lap while Danny snapped several photos. Four year-old Fina soon grew restless, so Danny picked up Alex and let his older daughter down. She danced around the room for another half hour while Stella and Lindsay talked. Finally it was time for the twins to eat and for Stella to relieve Don for work. Lindsay kissed the older kids goodbye, looking into Gio's eyes and assuring him of her love. They skipped out, joyful at the promise of a happy meal on their way back to the Flack home.

"Linds," Danny said, sitting down beside her on the bed, "What was all that with Gio earlier?"

"Just some new baby nerves. He wanted to know what was going to happen with his paperwork." Danny's expression indicated that he too had forgotten about their court date.

"I'm going to go reschedule that," he said, moving to stand. He kissed her and rubbed his daughters' heads.

--

Lindsay and the twins were allowed to go home the next day. However, Danny wasn't able to get a court date for another three weeks.

Gio and Fina were wonderful with the new babies. As when Fina was young, each morning, when Alex and Aiden woke, Gio entertained them until either Lindsay or Danny came to get them. Fina's favorite task was feeding her little sisters. Life settled into a joyful routine.

But life was not without its bumps. One day, when the twins were two weeks old, Gio came home with a science project.

"Daddy, can you help me?" he asked the detective, who was cradling an extremely cranky Alex.

"Sure," Danny answered, "In a minute, Buddy." Gio nodded and pulled the work from his backpack and set it out on the kitchen table.

"Buddy, not in here, please," Lindsay said, "I'm making pizza for dinner and I need that space. Can you take it to your room?"

"Mom, it's a big science project," Gio complained. Lindsay smiled understandingly.

"Sweetie, I really need you to move this," she said, "You can work in here after dinner, 'kay?"

"Okay," he agreed, sullenly. He pulled all his stuff off of the table and walked to his room. Half an hour later, Alex was finally asleep, so Danny walked into his boy's room. The first thing he noticed was the breeze from the open window.

"Gio?" he called, not seeing his son. He checked the closet and even under the bed.

"This isn't funny Giovanni Messer," Danny asserted, searching again. Not finding anyone, he rushed to the door, cell phone in hand.

"Danny!" Lindsay called from the kitchen, "Where are you going?"

"Just out for a quick jog around the park," he said.

"Can you take the older ones with you?" she asked.

"Sure," he answered.

"Great! Gio's in his room and I think Fina is in there with him," she called back. Danny's heart began to pound as he rushed towards his daughters' room. His worst fears were confirmed when he opened the door.

Fina was nowhere to be found.

--

_Cue dramatic music! This one is going to be shorter than the first, mostly because I'm not really feeling it the way I did __Come Home, Little Angel__. I considered having a custody battle between the Messers and Carmen, but I think she's best left to hide out until another story. My next three weeks are shaping up to be pretty dull, so if you're looking for something to do, PM me and I'd love to bounce story ideas around with someone._


	3. Chapter 3

Danny ran down the street, hurriedly scanning from side to side, searching for his kids. He called to them over and over. He reached the corner bakery, still in business after a hundred years.

"Nina!" he called, "Have you seen my kids?" The bakery owner, who was in the back store room came out, thinking she was going to meet the two newest Messers. When she saw only the frightened Danny her smile faded.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Gio and Fina, I think they ran off," he said, "At least, that's what I hope happened."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen them," Nina said, "But I'll send my Kenny out to look for them."

"Thank you," Danny said, he ran back out the door.

--

"Gio," Fina whined, "I'm hungry. When are we going home?" The pair were sitting behind a patch of bushes in the park three blocks from their home.

"I told you not to come with me, you big baby," Gio said harshly. He immediately regretted his tone when Fina's face screwed up. He was her idol, her protector. He had never been mean to her, not even in a teasing way.

"I'm sorry, Fina," he said quickly. She just sat there, with her little lip sticking out and tears welling up in her eyes. She ran to the swings and pulled herself up on one. Gio wondered if he should follow, but decided to stay put and just keep an eye on her from a distance.

--

When her fellow park mother pointed out the little girl on the swings, Casey Harper was taken aback. Even though she was new to the neighborhood, she'd seen the girl several times, but never without an adult nearby. The missing persons detective sighed and stood, crossing to the swings to take a seat beside the girl.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said, "What's your name?" The little girl stayed hidden behind a veil of honey brown curls.

"I can't talk to strangers," she said, kicking her feet around.

"It's okay to talk to me, sweetie, I'm a police officer," Casey said. This made the girl look up at her with bright blue eyes.

"What precinct?" she asked, catching Casey completely off-guard.

"Missing Persons," she answered, "I work in Manhattan."

"Can I see your badge?" the little one asked. Casey weighed her options and pulled the badge from her pocket. She started to hand it over but paused.

"What's your name?" she asked again.

"What's yours?" Casey smiled. This girl had been well trained in how to handle strangers. She was adorable and precocious.

"Casey," she said, "That's my daughter, Eden over there, she's seven."

"My big brother is eight," the girl offered. She started to swing harder and higher.

"Yeah?" Casey asked, deciding that following this line of thought might lead her in the right direction.

"Yep, Gio's eight, I'm four and baby Alex and Baby Aiden are only two weeks old," she declared happily. "They were borned early, but Daddy says that the doctors were just wrong about when they were coming. They're pretty babies."

"And you're a pretty girl," Casey said, "I'll bet you have a pretty name to go with that pretty hair of yours."

"Serafina Mackenzie Messer!" a man yelled from across the playground. The little girl's head snapped up and a smile bloomed.

"Daddy!" she called, jumping down and running to him. The pair embraced and Casey could have sworn there were tears in the father's eyes.

"Don't you ever do that again!" he said sternly, "Where's your brother?" looking up he saw Casey on the swing and realized that they must have been holding a conversation.

"Serafina you do not talk to strangers," he said, his tone growing even more serious.

"Daddy, she's NYPD," the girl protested, "Missing Persons. I saw her badge and she works in Manhattan." Casey rose and displayed her shield.

"Casey Harper, NYPD Missing Persons," she said. The man extended his hand.

"Danny Messer, Crime Lab," the names were all sounding very familiar. Suddenly Danny jumped to the bushes. He came away holding onto the arm of a young boy.

"Giovanni Louis Messer, what were you thinking?" he asked, harshly, but not yelling.

"You don't want me!" the boy cried. Casey saw Fina's look of sorrow and knelt down beside her. Danny looked like he'd been hit with a two by four.

"What do you mean, I don't want you?" he asked.

"You and Mommy don't want me," he cried, "You're too busy with Fina and the twins and you can't help me with my homework. And you didn't sign those papers because you changed your mind." At this point, the boy was sobbing and Danny was openly crying as well. He pulled the child into a hug, cradling the boy's head against hiss well-defined shoulder.

"That's not true, Gio," Casey heard him whisper, "You are my son and I want you to be my son forever. I was so excited to sign those papers, I tried everything I could to get us a close court date. But there are so many people who have family problems that they wanted the court to take care of. And I am so, so sorry about today, Buddy. I wish I could say this without it sounding like an excuse, but little babies take so much time and energy that sometimes I undervalue you and Fina because you're such good kids. That doesn't mean I don't want you, it doesn't." Fina ran over to hug Gio.

"I love you," she offered. Gio ruffled her hair.

"I know you do, Squirt," he said. Danny rose and thanked Casey. Gio started to sneak off toward the swings. Danny grabbed his backpack.

"I don't think so, Giovanni. You are still in big trouble for the stunt you pulled. We're going home."

--

_And with that, I bring this story to what I hope is a satisfying ending. I'm getting tired of writing epic, so the next couple will be this length or shorter. There is a long one in the works for when they're all grown up. However, I got called in suddenly to work this next week which means no internet and barely any time to think about writing, so I won't be getting as much done as I thought. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. CATE_


End file.
